Bait and Switch: Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy

It has become routine for the U.S. government to invoke human rights to justify its foreign policy decisions and military ventures. But this human rights talk has not been supported by a human rights walk. Policymakers consistently apply a double standard for human rights norms: one the rest of the world must observe, but which the U.S. can safely

Overview

It has become routine for the U.S. government to invoke human rights to justify its foreign policy decisions and military ventures. But this human rights talk has not been supported by a human rights walk. Policymakers consistently apply a double standard for human rights norms: one the rest of the world must observe, but which the U.S. can safely ignore.

Based on extensive interviews with leading foreign policymakers, military officials, and human rights advocates, Mertus tells the story of how America's attempts to promote human rights abroad have, paradoxically, undermined those rights in other countries. The second edition brings the story up to date, including new sections on the second half of the Bush administration and the Iraq War, and updates on Afghanistan.

The first edition of Bait and Switch won the American Political Science Association's 2005 Best Book on Human Rights.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments viiPreface to Second Edition xiIntroduction: All That Glitters ... 1The Lingua Franca of Diplomacy: Human Rights and the Post-Cold War Presidencies 25The New Military Humanism Under Attack: Human Rights and the U.S. Armed Forces 107Raising Expectations?: Civil Society's Influence on Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy 157Conclusion: Bait and Switch? 227Selected List of Persons Interviewed 237Bibliography 243Index 283